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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stock · bulb · lean · foot · hand · cue · capital · last

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. capital — money
  5. last — to go on
  6. capital — a city
  7. last — final
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. bulb — for light
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. foot — a measure
  13. hand — help
  14. lean — thin
  15. last — finally
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. stock — shares
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — for pool
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. stock — goods

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com